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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Harriet Agerholm

Woman only stopped beating up autistic teenager after being told: 'I think she's dead'

An autistic girl teenager suffered horrific injuries to her face and was left for dead in the street after a woman repeatedly stamped on her head in a brutal attack.

Emily O'Reilly was left so badly bruised, her mother said she did not recognise her.

The 16-year old said she was walking to a branch of Asda in Darlaston, near Walsall in the West Midlands, when someone grabbed her hair from behind.

Assailant stamped on Ms O'Reilly's head (SWNS)
Emily O'Reilly before the attack (SWNS)

The assault – during which she was punched, kicked and stamped on – has reportedly left her permanently disfigured.

The teenager's iPhone and a valuable bracelet were also stolen during the incident.

Teenager's bracelet and phone were stolen during assault (SWNS)

Her attack only ended after she heard someone who was with the girl say: “That’s enough, I think she’s dead."

The teenager's mother, Tanya O'Reilly, described the moment she arrived at the hospital, saying: “What I saw in that room weren’t [sic] my daughter. She was unrecognisable.”

She watched her daughter cry but could not see her tears because the swelling was so bad — an image she said would never forget.

Ms O'Reilly was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a developmental disability that affects how people interact with others, when she was six years old.

A 16-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and appeared at Wolverhampton Youth Court on Wednesday.

Teenager left permanently disfigured after attack (SWNS)

She was granted bail and will reappear at the same court on March 31.

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